Bemidji State, Northwest Technical College set Friday commencement at Sanford Center

Families, employers and campus supporters will have three separate chances to celebrate graduates at Bemidji’s Sanford Center on Friday, May 8, as Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College turn commencement into an all-day event with direct ties to Beltrami County’s workforce pipeline.

BSU will open with a 10 a.m. ceremony for graduates of the Sunderman College of Creativity, Enterprise and Place, followed by a 1 p.m. ceremony for the College of Sciences and Health. Northwest Technical College will hold its commencement at 4 p.m. The schedule gives one of the region’s biggest annual ceremonies a clear rhythm, with student groups, families and employers able to move through the day without overlapping programs.

BSU’s 107th commencement will feature retired U.S. Air Force officer and sustainable farming advocate Brent Larson as speaker. The university is also honoring R. Allen Sunderman posthumously with its 43rd Distinguished Minnesotan Award, the recognition BSU has presented since 1981 to current or former Minnesotans who have performed exemplary service to the people of Minnesota or the United States. Sunderman’s estate gave BSU an $8.1 million gift, the largest testamentary contribution in the university’s 107-year history, and the money is slated to support technology upgrades, endowments, student scholarships and an innovation fund for regional partnerships.

The scale of that gift gives Friday’s ceremony broader economic meaning for Bemidji and northern Minnesota. The college that bears Sunderman’s name includes 34 majors and 28 minors, tying the celebration to the kinds of programs that feed jobs in health care, business, education, technology and other local fields.

At Northwest Technical College, retired Sanford Health of Bemidji CEO Karla Eischens will address graduates and receive the college’s IMPACT Award, adding another familiar local name to the day’s lineup. The format also mirrors last year’s Sanford Center setup, when BSU and NTC held three ceremonies on the same day, underscoring how the venue has become a shared stage for the area’s academic and economic future.